No Oppo Supporters Swans v Hawks - the thread where we let it all out (READ OP FIRST)

[legend166]

Reposting from a main board post:

You know who I blame for all this?

The umpire that called holding the ball against Port in the dying seconds of the prelim.

Seriously though, we we horrible. The Hawks just bullied us in that first quarter and the game was over 10 minutes into the second. It was as though no one was ready for the intensity of a grand final.

What really annoys me is that Buddy was absolutely on today. Kicked four whilst our midfield was getting absolutely smashed. If we had managed to just break even he would have dominated today.

All the hysterics about the culture being ruined by Franklin/Tippett is so dumb. We just had our best regular season ever. Obviously that doesn't mean anything now but it shows we're still a better side than basically everyone else but Hawthorn.

That's not to downplay the seriousness of the loss - the players should be embarrassed by the way they performed. I just hope it gives the fire to redeem themselves the only way possible, by winning the flag next year.

 

[lyndhurst]

Why is every second person at the airport a hawks fan

School holidays
Legions of us flew back to Melbourne for the day

 

[HARKER]

Sydney would put up a performance like that 1 in 20 days.......Unfortunately yesterday was that 1 day.

Had expected the finals scores being the other way around and stopped watching after the third quarter.

Not going to wish you good luck because you don't need it............you've used up all your bad luck in one day already.

 

[Grongey]

Big changes are needed.

Hawthorn played commando football and we couldn't cope.

Trade aggressively, play the kids, Tom Mitchell especially. Big questions over Sam R.

It's about premierships.

 

[M F JONES]

Its gone and we'll never get that back,it'll burn,however understand what went wrong & how,understand it & learn from it, Hawks did after 2012,Cats did so after 2008 that's our challenge,that's how we take our club to the very next level,no way do we implode, that's for the poorly run clubs.
We have a great foundation to keep us rolling, it will take some critical hard decisions to be made whatever they maybe,but no way do you throw the baby out with the bath water,
Hard work is our ethic,back to square one is our reality for 2015, but I have faith the club & players will have this burn and drive them & they will no there are no guarantees,
I for one am looking forward to 2015, we will rise to the challenge,

 

[Heeney2Franklin]

Its gone and we'll never get that back,it'll burn,however understand what went wrong & how,understand it & learn from it, Hawks did after 2012,Cats did so after 2008 that's our challenge,that's how we take our club to the very next level,no way do we implode, that's for the poorly run clubs.
We have a great foundation to keep us rolling, it will take some critical hard decisions to be made whatever they maybe,but no way do you throw the baby out with the bath water,
Hard work is our ethic,back to square one is our reality for 2015, but I have faith the club & players will have this burn and drive them & they will no there are no guarantees,
I for one am looking forward to 2015, we will rise to the challenge,

We wont ever get it back unless we play Hawthorn again in 2015.

 

[M F JONES]

We wont ever get it back unless we play Hawthorn again in 2015.

I like the idea of revenge,

 

[sherb]

Carlton supporter, but 21 year Swans member as well (joined in 94). Once the Blues were out of the race (ie yonks ago, lol) I dearly wanted the Swans to go through and win the big one - both as a member and a big supporter of the game here in Sydney.

It's really hard to express what I feel about yesterday, apart from being extremely disappointed and pretty angry at the Swans dishing up what they did.

I mean, they have supporters who invest a lot into the club (in terms of time, money, emotion, etc) and at the very least I would have expected a Swans side in a Grand Final to do the right thing by these people by giving a yelp.

Instead, the Hawks reduced them to a rabble for much of the day. It reminded me of many of the lop sided contests I have seen in Sydney footy over the years. One side completely dominating, doing it pretty easily, with the other just chasing its tail all day.

The thing that stood out for me (as I got continually more drunk - I was at part 1 of a friend's bucks do) was how Hawthorn continually got out by themselves. All bloody day. As if Longmire had instructed his players NOT to man up, especially at the contests.

The other thing is that I have regarded the Swans for many years as a tough, physical, uncompromising side. There was little of that on display yesterday. They were completely and utterly outmuscled. Even their traditional tackling ethic went out the window.

There is also little doubt in my mind that there was an element of the players believing the hype (much of the pre-match publicity seemed to focus on the Swans) and having possibly too easy a run (results wise) going into the Grand Final. As well as the opposition thinking they had a point to prove.

And that translated into one side being ferocious and hungry and the other side, well, pretty much the opposite. And it couldn't have showed more clearly in the final margin, which I thought could have easily been much, much larger.

I hope the players, coaching staff and club in general are embarrassed and hurt by what was dished up yesterday. It has to be that way if the Swans want to rebound in 2015. The reaction to the loss has to be tough to the point of ruthless.

Having said all that, Hawthorn are clearly the benchmark of the competition and the Swans aren't alone in having work to do to get to their level. Well done to them.

 

[Tuco]

Swans v Hawks.

2 Birds. One cup.

 

[Tuco]

Carlton supporter, but 21 year Swans member as well (joined in 94). Once the Blues were out of the race (ie yonks ago, lol) I dearly wanted the Swans to go through and win the big one - both as a member and a big supporter of the game here in Sydney.

It's really hard to express what I feel about yesterday, apart from being extremely disappointed and pretty angry at the Swans dishing up what they did.

I mean, they have supporters who invest a lot into the club (in terms of time, money, emotion, etc) and at the very least I would have expected a Swans side in a Grand Final to do the right thing by these people by giving a yelp.

Instead, the Hawks reduced them to a rabble for much of the day. It reminded me of many of the lop sided contests I have seen in Sydney footy over the years. One side completely dominating, doing it pretty easily, with the other just chasing its tail all day.

The thing that stood out for me (as I got continually more drunk - I was at part 1 of a friend's bucks do) was how Hawthorn continually got out by themselves. All bloody day. As if Longmire had instructed them NOT to man up, especially at the contests.

The other thing is that I have regarded the Swans for many years as a tough, physical, uncompromising side. There was little of that on display yesterday. They were completely and utterly outmuscled. Even their traditional tackling ethic went out the window.

There is also little doubt in my mind that there was an element of the players believing the hype (much of the pre-match publicity seemed to focus on the Swans) and having possibly too easy a run (results wise) going into the Grand Final. As well as the opposition thinking they had a point to prove.

And that translated into one side being ferocious and hungry and the other side, well, pretty much the opposite. And it couldn't have showed more clearly in the final margin, which I thought could have easily been much, much larger.

I hope the players, coaching staff and club in general are embarrassed and hurt by what was dished up yesterday. It has to be that way if the Swans want to rebound in 2015. The reaction to the loss has to be tough to the point of ruthless.

Having said all that, Hawthorn are clearly the benchmark of the competition and the Swans aren't alone in having work to do to get to their level. Well done to them.

Sherb you've nailed my biggest beef. Our midfield setups were so lopsided. It's as if we were happy to roll the dice and commit one side or the other with no outside coverage all day. Hawks simply needed to have one move outside and they were away.

 

[melbournehammer]

Sherb you've nailed my biggest beef. Our midfield setups were so lopsided. It's as if we were happy to roll the dice and commit one side or the other with no outside coverage all day. Hawks simply needed to have one move outside and they were away.

Outside coverage was there. But they won it inside and the outside coverage got sucked to the contest. Happened in round 18 as well. We could have stayed with the man on the outside and they would have gone through the corridor. Horse could and should have looked back to 05 and 06 after round 18 and developed plan b - crouch ablett Bolton kirk Matthews were so accountable against a far superior midfield.

The game was won and lost with their clearance work and our sloppy skills off half back - our contested and uncontested possessions were all won inside our defensive fifty. But their pressure knocked us over with the six goals in ten minutes in the second quarter. Game was over then and we simply couldn't get a hand on it.

Amazed that horse didn't at some stage just switch to complete man on man. Parker to Mitchell. Jack to hodge - he started as a tagger. Mcveigh to Lewis. That sort of thing.

 

[Tuco]

Outside coverage was there. But they won it inside and the outside coverage got sucked to the contest. Happened in round 18 as well. We could have stayed with the man on the outside and they would have gone through the corridor. Horse could and should have looked back to 05 and 06 after round 18 and developed plan b - crouch ablett Bolton kirk Matthews were so accountable against a far superior midfield.

The game was won and lost with their clearance work and our sloppy skills off half back - our contested and uncontested possessions were all won inside our defensive fifty. But their pressure knocked us over with the six goals in ten minutes in the second quarter. Game was over then and we simply couldn't get a hand on it.

Amazed that horse didn't at some stage just switch to complete man on man. Parker to Mitchell. Jack to hodge - he started as a tagger. Mcveigh to Lewis. That sort of thing.

I actually meant an inside mid standing a metre to other side. Can't have them all auskicking it in the one direction all day.

 

[tombomb]

Jake lloyd should have been getting up at 4am rather than 5am when he was 9 to do boxing sessions.

More importantly though, hawthorn supporters are unbearable.

 

[mtooler]

Embarrassed.

 

[AG]

Most disappointed I've ever been as a Swans supporter. 1996 and 2006 I was at the game but yesterday was the worst feeling by a mile even thought I didn't make the trip this year.

I completely disagree with people who say it's better to get smashed than lose a close one. If it's close, at least we put in an effort. Yesterday was just embarrassing and a shocking feeling sitting through over 80% of the game.

As someone already said, it's frustrating because Franklin looked switched on and if we had made a contest of it, then he could have run riot. Reading through the threads there seems to be a bit of overreaction with team changes during the summer, so I'll wait until I get over the disappointment before I give an opinion.

One thing though, I pray Goodes plays on next season. No way in hell he's going out like that.

 

[SBD Gonzalez]

Effort was poor
I'm not about to roast Longmire, but man he pales in comparison to clarko - a great tactician.
Hawthorn at their best, Sydney at perhaps theirmworst was never going to be pretty

Really don't think Clarkson had much say in it other than to tell them get out there and smash 'em.

And inexplicably, we just sat and copped it all day.

Seriously starting to believe the spiked Gatorade theory.

 

[SBD Gonzalez]

Why ? Hawks have beaten us four in last five with only one match where hodge was out and Gibson got injured during the match.

I never understood the confidence for the swans. I was always reasonably pessimistic, but hoped we might get off to a flyer and keep scoreboard pressure.

Our form has been good against the poor teams but we've ridden our luck against the better teams. We limped across the line against freo who we're missing their two tall defenders. We beat port but they too we're missing structural pieces.

I thought before the game that our midfield had to comprehensively win for us to win as their forward line make the most of their opportunities. When breust and guns ton miss it is a surprise. When goodes Tippett and buddy miss it isn't.

Once the midfield was beaten there was no chance.

My sentiments to a "t". Or should that be an "s".

 

[SBD Gonzalez]

We played one absolute shithouse game and the Hawks were just awesome today

But it was the grand final, and probably our best chance in years to win a flag.

 

[SBD Gonzalez]

You guys did not choke.
No one squibbed it.
We would have beaten anyone today.
I have never seen a team play better.

Yes, well that is always the question after results like this. Did you play incredibly well, or did we play incredibly badly? Both. The more important question though, the one that is so difficult to establish, is at what point did one make the other inevitable?

 

[SBD Gonzalez]

Hawthorn's best is brutal and thwarts the opposition from playing their best. That's the difference which resulted in hawthorn's 2012 loss.

KOLOKOTRONIS

Your posts would appear a lot less boastful if you didn't shout your user name at the end of each one.

 

[teooooooman]

Never seen our guys play this bad in my life, honestly worst game to be at. Our mids were absolutely anilhated. Take a Bow josh kennedy.

We really need to improve on our kicking, how many targets were missed yesterday it's incredible.

 

[The King!]

Last two seasons ended with our highly publicised pressure applying side being embarrassed by opposition pressure and a margin that flattered us

 

[smithey2012swannies]

The umpires are probably the last thing we should complain about.

But I agree, onwards and upwards. I hope Goodes and Shaw retire. Need more youth.

Our youth couldn't handle the pressure and did Jack shit. Goodes actually did something when he had it instead of making silly errors.

 

[Swan Dive]

The reason we lost so badly yesterday was that the players had not recovered psychologically from their defeat to Hawthorn in Round 18.

They didn't believe they could win, and it was brutally exposed by the pressure of the occasion. Doubt took over.

During the week, O'Keefe gave the game away when asked whom he thought would win. He said the game would be won by the team with the best defence, and when asked if that was us, declined to give a straight answer. Instead, he said "I think our defence is pretty solid". It was an important clue that seems to have been missed.

O'Keefe's remarks were from an experienced insider - no longer part of the team, but still close enough to know what was really going on inside the players heads. He was being honest.

Round 18 was more significant than everyone realised - except the players. They threw everything they could at Hawthorn and still came up short.

Problems like that are fixable if they're spotted in time - but in our case it wasn't. And it needed to be.

 

[smithey2012swannies]

Good thing we didn't have shaw or Hannebery in rnd 18 would have been worse score line.